Electrical regulating system



June 16, 1931. J, CHAMPUN 1,810,596

' ELECTRICAL REGULATING SYSTBI Filed Aug. 18 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 11/ "'5 I I I" WV I: 14 [27W &

LA vvv Inventor: Franklin J. Champlin,

His Attbfineg.

June 16, 1931.

F. J. CHAMPLIN 1,810,596

ELECTRICAL REGULATING SYSTEI Filed Aug. 18 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. (0

Inventor: Fr-ahKlin J. Champlin,

His Att or-ne Patented June 16, 1931 UNITEDSTATES PATENT orrics FRANKLIN J CHAMELIN', E DALTQN, MASSAGEE'SIET'IS, ASSIGNQR- T0 GEN 'ERAL ELEC TRIC COMPANY, A CORPORALIIDN QF NEW Y OBK' surnames; nscumarme $131131 Application filed August 18, 1930. Serial No. 475,935.

This invention relates generally to the regulation of three-phase, three-wire alternating current circuits and particularly to connec'; tions forohtaining true 'linedrop compensa- 5 tion when. two single-phase regulators are employed. I

Thefact that the line voltages of any threephase circuit, when considered as vectors, form a triangle has led to the use of two single-phase regulators for regulating such circuits, for, joining the ends of two proportion,-

ately extended sides of a triangle creates a triangle which is similar to the first It is thus seen that when two single-phase regulators are used no phase angle distortion takes place under balanced conditions.

As this arrangement has a flexibility not equalled by a single three-phase regulator and as single-phase regulators are usually more i readily available than three-phase regulators this way of regulating three-phase circuits has become quite common.

As the regulators and their control equipment are bulky they are usually placed a considerable distance from the actual point of application of the load or loads. There is consequently a voltage drop in the circuit between the load and the point where the voltage responsive control mechanism of the regulators is connected to the circuit. Therefore changes in load causeschanges in this voltage drop with the result that constant voltage is not maintained at. the load, where it should be, but out on the line where the voltage responsive control element is connected to the circuit.

It is not feasible, in most cases, to connect the voltage responsive control element to the regulated circuit at the point of application of the load, because of the necessity of running an additional circuit back to the regulator. Hence it is common to provide what: is termed aline drop compensator to correct for the line drop. This compensator is an element which produces a weakening effect on the voltage responsive element inprop ortion to the line current, thus causing the regulator to hold a higher-voltage as theload increases. It may be either an additional winding on the usual contact making voltmeter core or an element producing a counter voltage in the crriuit ofthe usual contact making voltmeter C01 In three-phase distribution circuits the line voltages and currents are not in phase at unity power factor. (lonsequently'true line dro compensation cannot be obtained by mere y connecting the contact mak ng voltmeter to be responsive to a line voltage and the line drop. compensator to be responsi've to a line current, as'the current and volt age effects produced on the contact making voltmeter will then not have. a phase relatron corresponding to the phase relation of current and voltage inv the'circuit. 'lhe reason that, it is necessary that these phase relatrons correspond in order to obtain true line drop compensation is because theline drop is avector' resultant,'generally composed of unequal quadrature resistance, and reactance c m Q' n W e p e g e. is de ermined by e power factor of the circuit. Thus at agg lven load thereis a particular amount of line .d'ro compensation which should correspond with each value of power iactor.

I Means for making the connections between the three circuit conductors, on the one-hand, and the voltage responsive elements and the line drop compensators, on the. other hand, of the two regulators, so as to. obtain true line drop compensation, have been devised in the past but they invariably involve the use of at least three line current transformers, with their attendant cost and otentialities as weak points in the circuit. 13y invention, however, requires only two currents to be obtained from th'e three-phase circuit, preferabbu, bu no ecessa i y, y i e ur ransf r ers r It is, an object of my invention to provide a simplified electrical regulating system.

It is another object of my invention to provide a simplified and inexpensive system of connections, for obtaining true line drop compensat on a h e -Ph se c it s r gu ted y two si g -p as r gulato s- My inventionv will be better understood from, the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a preferred embodiment of my invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are vector diagrams for explaining the operation of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. t is a diagrammatic illustration of a modified form of my invention; Fig. 5 is a. vector diagram for explaining the operation of the modification shown in Fig. l; Fig. 6 represents diagran'm'iatically still another modiiication of my invention; while Fig. 7 is a vector diagram for explaining the operation of Fig. 6.

Referring now to Fig. 1, conductors 1, 2, and 3 comprise a section of a three-phase alternating current circuit in which it will be assumed that the power flow is from left to right as viewed in the drawings. Singlephase regulators are connected in conductors 1 and 3 of this circuit. These regulators may be of any suitable typesuch as induction regulators or contactor operated step type regulators. As shown, however, they comprise conventional induction voltage regulators which are designated in the drawings by characters 4. and 5. Any suitable operating mechanisms may be employed for operating these regulators and as shown the conventional reversible servo-motors 6 and 7 are mechanically connected respectively to regulators 4 and 5 to operate them. Any suitable voltage responsive control clements may be employed to control the operation of servomotors 6 and 7, the conventional contact making voltmeters 8 and 9 being illustrated. Suitable sources of energy 10 and 11 are con nected respectively between motor 6 and contact making voltmeter 8 on the one hand, and motor 7 and contact making voltmeter 9 on the other hand. Thus the engagement of the movable contact of either contact making voltmeter with one or the other of its fixed contacts will determine which one of the re versing field windings of the servo-motors is energized, and consequently will determine the direction of operation of these motors and hence the amount of voltage buck r boost introduced by the regulators in the l'OlldlflCilOIS in which they are connected.

The operating solenoid of each contact making voltmeter is connected to a control system comprising a circuit including a secondary winding of a potential transformer whose primary winding is connected between two of the conductors of the three phase circuit, a line drop compensator and an adjustable rheostat. The line drop compensators are each energized by line current transformers connected in the circuit conductors in which their associated regulators are connected. Thus the control system for contact making voltmeter 8 comprises the potential transformer 12 whose primary winding is connected between conductors 1 and 2 and whose secondary winding is connected in the control circuit, a line drop compensator con'lprising an adjustable resistance 16 and an adjustable reactance 17 across which is connected the secondary winding of the current transformer 20 connected in conductor 1. An adjustable resistance 22 is also included for adjusting the control circuit for different normal voltage values and for different values of line drop compensation as determined by the adjustment of the resistance 16 and reactance 17. Likewise, the control system for contact making voltmeter 9 comprises a potential transformer 13 having its primary winding connected between circuit conductors 2 and 3 and its secondary winding connected in the control circuit, a line drop compensator 15 comprising an adjustable resistance 18 and an adjustble reactance 19, across which is connected, the secondary winding of line current transformer 21 whose primary winding is conucrtcd in conductor 3. An adjustable resistance 2?} similar to adjustable resistance 22 and for the same purpose is also connected in the control circuit of contact making voltmeter 9.

In order to introduce in each of the line drop compensators a component current which, when combined with the original current liowing therein, will produce a resultant current which is in phase with the voltage in each control circuit produced by its respective potential transformer, I provide an interconnection therebetween consisting of two one-to-one ratio current transformers 24: and 25 whose primary windings are connected respectively in series with the secondary windings of line current transformers 20 and 21 and whose secondary windings are coir nected in parallel by means of conductors 2G and 27, these secoin'lary windings then being connected in a series circuit including line drop compensators 14 and 15 by means of conductors 28, 29, and 30.

The operation of the embodiment of my invention il ustrated in Fig. l is as follows. As-ume that the tln-ec-phase circuit con1- prising conductors l, 2, and 3 is energized by a suiialiilc source of current and that no current liovm in this circuit. Under these circumsianccs line current transformers 20 and 2l will not be energized and the only voltage applied to each of the contact making voltmeter elements will be the voltages derived from potential transformers 12 and 13. If the voltage on the three-phase circuit rises, this rise in voltage will be transmitttul by the poicutial transformers to the contact making: roltmctcrs thereby causing an increase in the energization of their operating elements with the result that their movable contacts cooperate with their lower fixed contacts to energize the respective servo-motors of the ductors.

three-phase circuit will unbalance the con tact making voltmeters in a manner to cause them to operate the servo motors in a reverse direction thereby to cause the voltage regulators to insert a voltagezboost in the threeephase circuit.

The voltage regulators 4 and 5 are well known in the art and comprise essentially auto-transformers having fixed secondary windings connected in the line conductors and rotatable primary windings connected between :two of the conductors. Thus, by rotating the primary winding with respect to the secondary winding a variable voltage is induced in the latter which may be made ,zero when the axes of the windings are at right angles and either bucking or boosting when the axes of the windings are parallel.

If now a load is connected to the circuit comprising conductors 1, 2, and 3 in such a manner as to cause a power flow in this circuit from left to right a current will ,fiow in the conductors of this circuit. This will cause a voltage drop in the circuit between the source of current supply and the point where the contact making voltmeters are connected to it, thus causing these devices .to

operate the regulators in a manner to insert a voltage boost in the circuit thereby to re: store the voltage to normal at this point.

There will, however, be an additional voltage drop between the point where the contact making voltmeters are connected to the circuit and the point of applicationof the load which will result in a decrease in Volta e 'at the load, even though the voltages are he d constant at the point where the contact making voltmeters are connected to theacircuit. It is in order to compensate for this voltage drop that :the line drop compensators 1.4 and 15 are provided.

The resistance and the reactance of these compensators in each of the control circuits are proportional to the resistance and the reactance of the conductors of the three-phase circuit so that if a current flows through them which is proportional to the current flowing in the conductors of this circuit a voltage drop will be produced across their terminals which is proportional to the voltage drop in the conductors of the circuit. This is what actually takesplace because these compensators are connected in circuits '1 and 3 by means of the line current transformers 20 and 21.

However, as previously pointed out, the current :flowing in conductor 1, which is proportionalpto :the current flowing in the secondary likewise I and V are not in phase.

evector diagram as being equal to I winding of line current transformer 20 is not in phase at unity power factor with the voltage between conductor-s 1 and 2. This is clearl-y seen from the vector diagram shown in Fig. 3, wherein V V and V represent the leg voltages of thethree-phase circuit, 1 and I represent the line currents flowing in conductors l and 3 and V and V represent the line voltagesbetween conductors '1-2 and 23 respectively. From this it is clear that I, and V are not in phase and Therefore, with merely the line current transformers 20 and 21 energizing the line drop compensators the conditions in the control circuits of the contact making voltmeters will not represent true conditions on the threephase circuit because the voltage drop produced in the line drop compensator, which is connected so as to oppose the voltage producedby the potential transformer will not be in phase with the latter at unity power factor, and it is in order to bring these volt in phase that one to one ratio current transformers 24 and 25 are provided. The

way that this is accomplished will be clear when the vector diagram in Fig. 2 is considered for in this diagram I represents vectorially the current flowing in the secondary windin g of current transformer 24, while I represents vectorially currentflowing in the secondary winding of current transformer As these secondary windings are connected in parallel the total current flow in conductor 28 will be the vector sum of currents Land I which is shown in the As this current I must, flow in the line drop compensators 14: and 15 because of the connections made by conductors 28, 29, and 30,

this current is added vectorially to the currents I and I in line drop compensators 14 and 15 respectively. Fig. 3 shows vectorially this addition and shows that the resultant currents I and I flowing respectively in the line drop compensators 14 and 15 are in phase with the voltages V 1 and V respectively. Thus at unity power factor the currents in each of the line drop compensators are in phase with the voltages produced in each of the control circuits by the potential transformers so that the resistance drops in each line drop compensator are in phase with the potential transformer voltages and opposing them while the reactance drops in the line drop compensators are in quadrature with these voltages. Conditions in the control circuits, therefore, represent in miniature the actual conditions in the three-phase circuit, and true line drop compensation is secured, for as the voltage drops produced in line drop compensators oppose the potential transformer voltages the effective voltage on the contact making voltmeters will be decreased as the load current increases thereby transfm-mer.

to cause the regulators to hold the voltage sufliciently high to n'iaintain constant volt age at some point, preferably the point of application of the load on the three-phase circuit.

In Fig. t I have illustrated another way of securing true line drop compensation by the use of two auxiliary current transformers. This figure differs from Fig. 1 in that in place of trausforn'iers 24. and 25 and conductors E26, 27, .28, and 29, two two-to-one ratio step-down current transformers 31 and 32 are provided. These transformers have their primary windings connected respectively in series with the sccondaiy windings of line current transformers 20 and 21 and have their secondary windings cross connected so as to be con nected in parallel respectively with the secondary windings of the current transformers 531 and 20.

The operati on of this embodiment of my invention to secure true line drop compensation is illustrated by Fig. 53. Consider line drop compensator 1%. This has a current designaicd as l, flowing in it and in addition has a. tau-rent proi'hured by cu rrcnt transformcr 332, which is uopoltional to one half the current flow in line conductor 3, and which is designated in the vector diagram as vector 1 flowing in it. shown by the diagram the vector sum of these currents is equal to current i which it will be seen in phase with the voltage V a proportional part of which is produced in the contact making voltmeters circuit by potential transformer 12. In the same way the current in line drop compensator 15 is equal to current 1 which is in phase with the voltage V In Fig. 6 I have illustratei'l a way of obtaining true line drop compensation by shiftinc the phase of the voltage applied to th contact making voltmeter circuits rather than by shifting the phase of the current supplied to the line drop compensators. This figure differs from Figs. 1 and 4c in that instead of employing auxiliary current tl'illlSfOlll'lQl'S for producing component currents in the line drop compensat-ors special potential transforn'iers 3?, and 84: are provided which have midpoint taps 35 and 36 respectively brought out from their secondary wimlings. Each of the contact making voltmeter control circuits is connected so as to include a line drop compensator, the secondary winding of one of the potential transformers, and one half the secondary winding of the other potential Thus, considering the control circuit of the contact making voltmeter 8, it includes line drop compensator 14:, secondary winding of potential transforn'ier 233 and one half the secomlary winding of potential transformer 34. Likewise, the control circuit of contact making voltmeter 9 includes line drop compensator 15, secondary winding of potential transformer 34k and one half the secondary winding of potential transformer 33.

The operation of the embodiment illustrated in. Fig. (i will be clear from the vector diagram shown in Fig. 7. in this figure l is the current flowing in the line drop compensator 14: and V the resultant voltage produced by the potential transformers in the control circuit of contact making voltmeter 8. As shown Va,- is the result of two voltage V which is the voltage produced by the secondary winding of potential transformer 33 and one half V which is the voltage produced by the half of the secondary winding of potential transformer 3:3,

which is connected in this control circuit.

Likewise V is the voltage produced by the poten ial transformer in the control circuit of the contact making voltmeter 9. the vol tage being the vector result of volxage V which produced by the secondary n 'inding of potential transformer and one half of V which is produced by the half of the secondary winding of potential tcans'formor 33 which is. connected in this control circuit. its the voltages V and V are in phase rcspectively with the currents I, and l; 'ti'llc line drop compensation is secured.

It is to be noted that in all of thadiagrai s the VN J 'Q rep|'i-.-;cuting lhc c u'-- rents flowing in the line drop con'ipensaion: make in one case a zero phase angle with the voltage associated with them in their ((J ii rol circuit and in the other case make a 1525i phase angle with the voltage ESSA l with them in their control circuit. They have Illa c,

been shown thus for the sake of clar y in understanding the vector diagrams. In actual practice, however, each of these currents will be in phase with their respective voltages because the voltage drops produced by these currents in their associated lino drop compeusators should oppose these volta cs. This may be easily done by reversing the proper connections of either the potential transformers or the current transformers.

lVhile I have shown and described partic ular embodiments of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without do parting from my invention and .l, lhcrcforc, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, a pair of control circuits. moans respectively connecting said control circuits in different conductors of said three phase circuit and between different conductors of said three phase circuit, and interconnecting means between said. first mentioned means for causing the respective current components in said control circuits which are due to the connections in and between the conductors of said three phase circuit to be in phase at unity power factor. i

2. In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, a pair of controlcircuits,

potentials in 'saidcontrol circuits produced by said potential transformers at unity power factor;

3. In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, regulating means connected to said circuit, control means for said regulating means, a pair of devices for producing voltages which are proportional respectively to two of the line to line voltages of said three phase circuit connecting said circuit to said control means, a pair only of devices for producing currents which are proportional respectively to two of the line currents of said three phase circuit connecting said three phase circuit to said control means, and interconnecting means between one pair of said devices for so modifying the phase of the electrical quantities produced thereby that they are in phase respectively with the electrical quantities produced by the other pair of devices at unity power factor.

4. In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, regulating means con nected to said circuit, a control system for said regulating means, means connecting said three phase circuitto said control system com- I prising a pair of potential transformers connected between different pairs of conductors of said circuit, and a pair of current transformers connected in different conductors of said circuit, said control means being provided with :means for interconnecting one pair of transformers in such a manner that the electricalzquantity of each secondary winding is "in phase respectively withthe electrical quantity in one ofthe secondary windings of said-other pairof'transformers at unity power factor.

5. In combination, a three phase alternatin'g'currnt -'circuit,- a pair of line drop comp'ensators, a pair of current transformers con-' '6. In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, a pair of line drop compensators, a pair of line current transformers connected respectively to energize said "line drop compensators in accordance with two of the linezcurrents of said three ph'ase'circuit, and 1 means energized by said line current transformers for circulating in said line drop compensators component currents which combine vector-ially with the currents in said line drop compensators produced directly by said line current transformers to produce resultant currents in each line drop compensator which are in phase with different line voltages ofsaid-three phase circuit at unity power factor therein.

7 In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, regulating means connected-to said circuit, a control system for whose primary windings are connected between different pans of conductors of said three phase circuit and a pair of current transformers whose primary windings are connected in only two of the conductors of said three phase circuit, and interconnecting means between the secondary windings of said current transformers for producing resultantzcurrents in the circuits thereof which are in phase with the currents in'the secondary windings of said potential transformers at unity power factor. I

8.- A regulating system having, in combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, singlephase induction voltage regulaf tors connected respectively to two of the phases of said circuit, contact making voltmeters for controlling said regulators, po-

tential transformers connected respectively to energizesaid contact making voltmeters in accordance with variationsin the line voltages of the phases to which said regulators are connected, line drop compensators in circuit with each of said contact making volts meters, currenttransformers connected respectivelyfor energizing said line drop compensators in accordance with the current flow in the conductors of said three phase circuit in which said induction regulators are connected, and means energized by said line current transformers for circulating in said line dropcompensators component currents which combine vectorial ly with "the currents in said line'drop compensators produced directly by said line current transformers to produce re sultant currents in each line drop compensator which are in phase withthe respective line voltages to which said potential transformers are responsive. I

9. In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, a pan of line current transformers connected respectively in different conductors thereof, compensating devices connected respectively to the secondary windings of said current transformers, and a circuit containing parallel connected secondary windings of two current transformers whose primary windings are in circuit respectively with the secondary windings of said line current transformers said circuit also including said compensating devices.

10. In combination, a three phase alter nating current circuit, line current transformers having their primary windings connected respectively in two of the conductors of said circuit, line drop compensators connected respectively to the secondary windings of said line current transformers, one to one ratio current transformers having their primary windings connected respectively in circuit with the secondary windings of said line current transformers, and a circuit including said line drop compensators in series and the secondary windings of said one to one ratio transformers in parallel.

11. A regulating system having, in combi nation, a three phase alternating current circuit, two single phase induction regulators connected respectively to two of the phases of said circuit, individual means responsive respectively to two of the line voltages of said circuit for controlling said regulators, line drop compensator-s associated with said con trolling means, line current transformers connected respectively in the conductors of said circuit in which said regulators are connected for energizing said compensators, one to one ratio current transformers connected respectively to said line current transformers, the secondary windings of said one to one ratio trausformers being parallel connected in a circuit including said line drop compensators.

12. A regulating system having, in combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, single phase induction voltage regulators connected respectively to two of the phases of said circuit, contact making voltmeters for controlling said regulators, potential transformers connected respectively to energize said contact making voltmeters in accordance with variations in the line voltages of the phases to which said regulators are connected, line drop compensators in circuit with each of said contact making voltmeters, current transformers connected respectively for energizing said line drop compensators in accordance with the current flow in the conductors of said three phase circuit in which said induction regulators are connected, one to one ratio current transformers having their primary windings connected respectively in circuit with the secondary windings of said line current transformers and their secondary windings connected in par allel, and a circuit including said parallel connected secondary windings and said line drop compensators.

13. In combination, a three phase circuit, a line drop compensator, means for passing through said line drop compensatm? a current which is proportional in magnitude and phase angle to the current in one of the conductors of said circuit and means for passing through said line drop compensator a current which is proportional in magnitude and phase angle to one half the current in another one of the conductors of said three-phase circuit, said currents flowing in said line drop compensator in such a way as to produce a resultant current which is in phase with one of the line voltages of said three-phase circuit at unity power factor.

14. In combination, a three-plmse alternating current circuit, a pair of line current transformers connected respectively in dif ferent conductors of said circuit, compensating devices connected respectively to the secondary vv'indings of said line current transformers, and current transformers rcspectivcly associated with said line trans formers, each of said current transformers having its primary winding connected in series relation with the secondary winding of its associated line transformer and its secondary winding connected across the secondary winding of the other line transformer.

15. In combination, a three-phase altcrnating current circuit, a pair of line drop compensators, a pair of line current transforme 5 connected respectively to energize said line drop compensators in accordam'e with the current in different comluctm-s of said circuit, and a pair of two to one rat o step down current transformcrs having their primary windings connected respectively in series with the secondary windings of the line current transformers and their secondary windings cross connected across said line drop compensators.

16. A regulating system having, in combination, a three-phase alternating current circuit, two single-phase induction regulators connected respectively to two of the phases of said circuit, contact making voltmeters connected between different pairs of conductors of said circuit for controlling said regulators, line drop compensators associated with said contact making voltmeters, line current transformers connected respectively in the conductors of said three-phase circuit for energizing said line drop compensator-s, two to one ratio step down current transformers having their primary windings connected respectively in series with the secondary windings of said line current transformers and having their secondary windings cross connected across said line drop compensators.

17. In combination, a three-phase alternating current circuit a control circuit, means for producing in said control circuit a voltage which is proportional in magnitude and phase angle to one of the line voltages of said three-phase circuit, means for producing in said control circuit a voltage which is proportional in magnitude and phase angle to,

the voltage drop in one of the conductors of said three-phase circuit, and means for pro ducing an additional Voltage in said control circuit which is proportional in magnitude and phase angle to one half of another one of the line voltages of said circuit.

18. In combination, a three phase alternating current circuit, current transformers having their primary windings in two of the conductors of said circuit, line drop compensators connected to the secondary windings of said line current transformers, potential transformers having their primary windings connected between different pairs of conductors of said three-phase circuit and two control circuits each containing in series one line drop compensator, one potential transformer secondary winding and one-half of the secondary winding of the other potential transformer.

19. A regulating system having, in combination, a three-phase alternating current circuit, single-phase induction regulators connected to two of the phases of sa1d three-phase circuit, contact making voltmeters for controlling said regulators, control circuits for said contact making voltmeters, line drop compensators in said control circuits, line current transformers for energizingsaid line drop compensators, potential transformers connected respectively to produce in each control circuit a voltage which is proportional to a different line voltage of said threephase circuit, said potential transformers also being connected to produce in each control circuit a voltage which is proportional to one half the line voltage whose proportional part is produced in the other control circuit. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of August, 1930. FRANKLIN J. CHAMPLIN. 

